9 good things that happened around the world last week

DH Vancouver StaffDec 16, 2015 5:55 pm

Every time we try to catch up on the news, negative stories constantly seem to dominate the headlines. There’s a reason why we say some things “restore our faith in humanity” – it’s because we rarely get exposed to the wealth of good things happening around us everyday.

That’s why every week, we bring you a roundup of some of the biggest news stories about good things that happened around the world to help brighten your day.

Here are nine positive things that happened last week that you should know about (in no particular order):

Flight attendant Fan Xuesong spotted an elderly, disabled passenger struggling to eat his in-flight meal. So, she knelt down to help feed him. The 71-year-old passenger named Mr. Nui recently suffered a stroke and cannot hold his eating utensils. He was so moved by Fan’s kind gesture, that he began to cry. The heartwarming act of kindness was captured on camera.

2. Mother transforms tattoo for transgender son

Lindsay Peace got a tattoo of her young daughter on her arm several years ago. But her daughter never felt like a girl and recently transitioned to a boy whose name is Ace. Lindsay kept the tattoo but realized that she wanted to change it to represent Ace. So, she got her husband, who did the original tattoo, to redo it so it would look more like Ace. “Parents need to really support their kids in these situations. I thought he was happy before, but no — he’s happier now. It’s crazy. He smiles all the time,” said Ace’s dad, Steve, according to Metro News.

3. Couple buys stranger a new car after seeing him walk home from work

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Sean Merill and his wife Darilyn were on their way home when they saw the local school janitor, Robert, walking home from work. The couple pulled over to offer the man a ride. On the trip home, Robert told them that he takes public transportation two and a half hours every day to commute to work. Sean and Darilyn were heartbroken after hearing Robert’s story and decided to find a way to get him a car. They set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for a vehicle and insurance. They reached their fundraising goal and surprised Robert with the car. “If it wasn’t for them, I’d be still riding the bus. I owe them a lot, and I’m going to do my best… to help somebody else,” said Robert, according to People.

4. World’s oldest couple celebrate joint birthdays

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The world’s oldest couple celebrated their joint birthdays this past week. Karam Chand turned 109 and his wife Kartari turned 102 on Sunday. The couple, who married in 1925, celebrated their special day with four generations of their family in Bradford, England. Karam and Kartari have eight children, 27 grandkids and 23 great grandchildren.

5. Students rally around fellow classmate who was bullied for having cancer

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Fourteen-year-old Nicole Pfizer of Larendo, Texas, is battling leukaemia. Unfortunately, bullies at Nicole’s school posted mean comments and pictures about her on social media. One person wrote, “Knock, knock, who’s there ‘Not your white blood cells, that’s for sure,” under a picture of Nicole posted on Instagram.

Administration at Nicole’s high school were alerted and are dealing with the students who wrote the awful comments. In the meantime, Nicole is receiving a lot of love from her fellow classmates who rallied around and wore orange to show support for the teen. Orange is the school’s official colour and some of Nicole’s friends thought it would be a good way to make Nicole feel accepted despite the bullies’ hurtful words.

6. State troopers surprise little boy whose pet dog got ran over

Seven-year-old Blake Pankonien was devastated when his dog, Cowboy, got ran over near his home. Two state troopers arrived on scene and Blake’s mom Allison told them what happened. The troopers said they would look into the case. A week later, Alison found a note from one of the troopers on her doorstep with a $50 gift card to Toys ‘R Us for Blake.

The note, written by officer Francisco Velez, read:

I’m sorry I was not able to find the culprit. Myself and Trooper Manning patrolled close to your house to make an impact. I hope things get better.

You said your boy was talking about this being the worst Christmas ever. No boy should ever feel like that.

I’ve attached a Toys ‘R Us gift card so he can get himself a video game or toy.

Rita the pig was riding in the back of a truck that was headed to the slaughterhouse. Rita was also pregnant at the time but she managed to jump off the truck before it reached the final destination. A passerby saw Rita on the highway and took her to Sacramento County Animal Shelter. The pig gave birth to nine healthy piglets at the shelter. Now Rita and her babies are living happily on an animal sanctuary.

8. Mystery donor leaves diamond ring in Salvation Army kettle

A Salvation Army in Lowell, Massachusetts, received a massive donation when an anonymous donor placed a ring in a donation kettle. The ring was appraised at $3,500 and will be auctioned off this weekend to raise money to help families in need.

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DH Vancouver Staff

Daily Hive is the evolution of Vancity Buzz, established in Vancouver in 2008. In 2016, the publication rebranded and opened newsrooms in Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. Send story tips to [email protected]